On Friday, I got my invitation to join Google plus, and with great curiosity. I started to browse around and see what it was like. When I first went into Google+, I found there was an intuitive help feature that explained how to use the different aspects of the program, and it was really very quick and easy to learn how to use it.

So what is Google plus? Google+ is the new social platform that Google has been working on secretly. for some time and has now released to a limited number of users. Google+ lets people share comments, articles, photos and videos with various “circles” of friends or contacts, or they can share content publicly with any user who wants to view their posts At this point in time people can only joined the platform after having been invited by someone else. Having said that since its release, three weeks ago, the number of users on Google plus has jumped to a phenomenal  20 million users. This is far quicker than the growth of Facebook or Twitter. However, it needs to be remembered that Google already has large number of people using their other products and so its rapid growth has a lot to do with Google’s large preexisting database

Google+ grows to 20 million in 3 weeks

Image used by permission from Leon Håland

The first feature that you are introduced to when going to Google Plus is the Circles, which is the hub of the

what Google circles looks like

program. Google suggests people that you already know based on the people you have interacted with using Gmail and other Google programs such as Buzz or Wave. The thing I like about it is that Circles replicates how people interact in the real world. Typically, we have circles of friends that we communicate with based on common interests, and Google+ enables you to use this natural way of relating and communicating very easily in a virtual setting. All you deal is to name a circle in a meaningful way for you, so for example, “Family” and then from the pre-populated list of people that you already communicate with, Google shows you images, from which you can drag down your family members into the Family circle you created. The privacy settings are very easy to determine, with Private being the default. You can have as many circles as you wish. When you select a circle stream, you can have conversations with all people in your circle and follow the conversations people in the circle have with each other.

Another feature is called The Hangout. This is the first online capability to creating an impromptu meet up with people online. If you feel like hanging out and chatting with people, you can let your specific friends or a particular circle know that you’re’ hanging out’ and then wait to see who drops in for a face to face video chat using The Hangout. You can video chat with up to 10 people at the same time, and Google intuitively shows that video of the person who is speaking at the time. If the person in the hangout wants to share video, everyone in the video chat can watch the video in exactly the same time.

Google has made it easy to share your photos that you take on your phone. With the Google plus app on your phone. You can instantly at load your photos and videos and  they go to a private album on Google class and you decide who you’re going to share them with

Another feature is called Sparks. You just type into Sparks, what you’re interested in, and it will send you related content  that it thinks you will like. This means when you have a free five minutes, there’s always something that you can watch, read and share..

The Huddle is another pretty cool feature of Google plus, which enables you to text in real-time, with a group of people. So this means when you’re trying to decide with your friends, which movie to go to, for example, using The Huddle  turns all those separate text conversations into one group chat. So everybody is on the same page, at the same time in real time.

Google has indicated that theses features in Google plus are only just beginning and that there are more in the pipeline. So far in the initial three weeks there has been a very positive response to the Google+platform, and over the past  three weeks more people have been spending more time on Google bumping the average time spent from 12 minutes a day to over 13 minutes a day. This can only increase as more people start using it.

To sum up my experience so far, I think that Google Plus is a definite Plus in the social media world. I see a lot of potential for making meaningful connections online and has a very easy interface for setting it up to suit your own preferences and requirements. It can be as public or private as you want it to be and i have found it great for adding like minded people to my network and having meaningful conversations. There is no business component as yet (like the business page capability on Facebook for example) and this can be a positive thing. You are not going to be bombarded by sales pitches and mindless business promotional comments.  Instead it provides a platform where networking and building relationships in a social setting  is easy and isn’t that the way true business partners are created?

If you would like an invite to try out Google Plus for yourself, make a comment below and I’ll see what I can do to send you an invitation:)

This is a fun video showing how the Nativity story might have happened with 2010 technology

In this age of social media people get to witness what’s going on globally in a matter of minutes or less. Nothing can explain this fact better than the January 2010 catastrophe that hit Haiti in the form of an earthquake. People’s ability to act and support communities has greatly been increased.

The American public retweeted and posted on Facebook quickly and in even greater quantity. The social media manager at the American Red Cross Wendy Harman said that the kind of response received from the public was unprecedented for the Red Cross. She said it was the first time she truly felt like people were using these tools to take action for a good cause.

Some benefits of social media are as follows:

Democratization of Media: It has been a tumultuous time of change for many industries much of it driven by the Internet. The newspaper industry has been particularly affected by the Web and over the past 10 years, news media has under gone change parallel to the invention of the printing press in 1440. Blogging was a direct challenge to the newspapers and ended up shaking up the print media world. The traditional media has had to up its game as anyone can now publish 140 characters to the Web whether they are a writer or not and this might end up as breaking news as it was proven by the Hudson River plane crash.

Creativity and Remix Culture: Remix is a collage or a recombination of existing, reference images or music mashed up into something new. According to street artist Shephard Fairey, Remix is literacy in the 21^st Century. Copyright scholar Larry Lessig and author Steven Johnson have argued for free expression saying remix is form of self expression that should be allowed to flow without restriction across today’s digital world. The social media’s nature to travel globally has played a big role in trying to achieve this.

Communal Sharing and Connecting: Starting a business can be lonely but now, due to the increasing accessibility of people, ideas and information web communities can be based around business, entrepreneurship. Facebook and Twitter together with other social networks have become an amazing way to learn new lessons and keep in touch with other entrepreneurs.

Transparency in government and organizations: As the social media bug spreads, government and organizations are not left behind. People are now visiting the government sites to get factual information on legislative texts. They are able to give their views and feedback and this keeps the organizations in check. Other sites such as Tweet Congress allow citizens to find their elected officials and contact them directly. Transparency is a huge step because it is government’s way of saying they want to be collaborative and engage with citizens.

Have you ever wondered why an “epiphany” sometimes happens in a flash of inspiration when you suddenly feel “Yes I get it!”, and then at other times it is like a process or a journey that unfolds a bit at a time?

Well I feel as if I am on a journey toward something different which is unfolding a little bit at a time. In my last blog post I shared some insights that  I discovered when listening to a presentation by Julien Smith. At this point I feel I have traveled a little further in my journey but have not yet reached a destination.

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the books I got for Christmas was “Trust Agents” by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. Imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered quite by chance that Julien Smith was speaking at the Third Tuesday Vancouver Meetup group in downtown Vancouver last night. On the spur of the moment I decided to go, and of course took my copy of  ‘Trust Agents‘ to see if Julien would sign it. As you can see I wasn’t disappointed!

I had thought that perhaps Julian would be talking about the contents of the book however, it in addition to that, he presented some interesting thoughts and concepts about how communication has changed and the impact of those changes in the way businesses market and sell their products and services.

Some of the points he made of got me thinking about how I can apply them to my own business and also help my clients effectively transition into referral and relationship-based marketing rather than the familiar push marketing and advertising that businesses have traditionally used for decades.

Ever since the first voice was heard over the radio in 1904 we have become used to channels of one-way communication. As entertaining and informative as these channels can be, they communicate carefully crafted message with the intention of influencing the listeners. One-way communication is so limiting as there is no way of clarifying how the receiver of the message feels about the message and no way for the receiver to respond to the message. It is a one-way channel and now social media presents the opportunity for two-way conversation.

Some of the ways that Julien Smith talked about how to use two-way conversation effectively on social media channels  I thought was very interesting and I want to share one or two thoughts that he presented.

Reginald Fessenden was that first voice heard over the radio in 1904. At that moment a new channel of communication was born .Reginald Fessenden’s voice was experimenting with that new channel. Julien Smith challenged us to experiment with the new radios of the future. He gave the example of a child. A child learns about the world by touching and trying new things, and in doing so  expands the world that was previously known. Some experiences teach  good things, other experiences can hurt. Even when the child touches the burner and gets hurt he has a great understanding of the world. Every experience teaches us more about the world if we’re willing to take the risk to touch something new.

There will be many new channels  on social media that have not yet been invented. Our world will stay small if we are not willing to try and experiment with new things. Am I going to be a person who waits until a channel is proven before I experiment? Or am I going to be a pioneer who experiments and develops a voice in the new channels of the future.

When geese fly in V. formation, the goose at the head of the V is paving the way for the others. In taking the lead the head goose creates a channel and in doing so makes it easier for the other geese to follow by reduceing resistance. Does your business have the courage to take the lead using social media as a channel to communicate to your clients and potential clients leading the way?

What about the communication voice that is used in your channel in social media? There is a difference between hype and found a channel. Hype is like a 30 second commercial on TV, when it’s over the hype dies.  A channel, however, can continue forever as it is where you build connections. To have  control over the future of means taking control of your channel. If you own your channel you can communicate whatever you like in it. What is your unique communication voice that characterizes your channel?

Julien gave a church as an example of a channel for a community or tribe. The church represents a channel because people know where to go, what to do, and what to expect in a church. When your channel functions like church people want to come as it is reliable and people can be part of every conversation. Insider language breaks down walls. It creates a sense of being part of the community.

Social media is social; it is for breaking down walls in communication and building rapport and relationships. Julian showed a slide of a dog in a sweater with its head poking out of one of the sleeves. It was a ridiculous topic for a picture, and yet it made people laugh and broke the ice. He said it would be a talking point at the bar afterwards. Silly and ridiculous things break down walls in communication. This is an illustration of what it takes to build relationship and have your message spread virally. As silly as it may be, it creates a connection as people laugh or talk about it. Things that are different, things that make us laugh, things that we want to share, build rapport and a sense of belonging. Everyone has a need to belong. People are looking for their tribe, a place where they relate, and feel comfortable and fit in. They find this in a channel.

To become a channel in social media with a unique voice, one needs to be a human artist. When something is familiar people lose concentration and focus but when something is different it grabs their attention. A human artist breaks patterns and causes people to pay attention.

As I have reflected on these concepts today, I been asking myself questions that challenge me. There are people and businesses in social media that have gathered a significant tribe of followers. What is it that has made these people so popular online? What is unique about their channel of communication? What patterns did they break that caused people to sit up and take notice of what they have to communicate?

More importantly for me is the challenge to find my unique channel, my unique style and voice that is different and causes others to want to follow my channel and become part of my tribe. Once I have become a ‘human artist’ I can pass on those secrets to others.

My commitment in 2010 is to blog more frequently, and in doing so to find my unique voice and create my channel.

Can I challenge you to find and create your unique channel? Will you be the lead goose? Are you willing to risk putting your hand on the burner to expand your world? Will you be someone who experiments with the new ‘radios’ of the future whatever they may look like?

For more about Julien Smith’s presentation read Julien Smith at Third Tuesday Vancouver liveblog or watch it Julien Smith on video

Social media is a relatively new term and refers to different ways of interacting online such as blogs, video, podcasts, messaging, community sites, and RSS. Social media although still in its infancy has impacted communication significantly in the last year and is continuing to grow a rapid rate.

Are you embracing this change?

Read the rest of this entry »